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Khawlan (, ) is an ancient
Himyarite Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...
Arab tribe that archeologists view as one of the old tribes of
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
that were contemporary to the kingdoms of
Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...
and
Ma'in Ma'in (; ) was an ancient South Arabian kingdom in modern-day Yemen. It was located along the strip of desert called Ramlat al-Sab'atayn, Ṣayhad by medieval Arab geographers, which is now known as Ramlat al-Sab'atayn. Wadd was the national ...
. There are two tribes in Yemen with the name Khawlan which are, Khawlan Al-Tiyal/Al-Aaliyah () in
Ma'rib Marib (; Old South Arabian: 𐩣𐩧𐩨/𐩣𐩧𐩺𐩨 ''Mryb/Mrb'') is the capital city of Marib Governorate, Yemen. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of '' Sabaʾ'' (), which some scholars believe to be the ancient Sheba of bibl ...
,
Sana'a Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation ...
, and Al-Bayda governorates, and they are currently a part of the
Bakil The Bakil (, Musnad: 𐩨𐩫𐩺𐩡) federation is the largest tribal federation in Yemen. The tribe consists of more than 10 million men and women they are the sister tribe of Hashid(4 million) whose leader was Abdullah Bin Hussein Alahmar. The ...
tribal confederation. Khawlan Al-Tiyal means (''Khawlan of the highlands'') as it is situated on the highest point in Yemen. The tribe was first mentioned in Sabean scriptures as (''Kholn'') in 7th century BCE, and Khawlan bin Amer () in the
Saada governorate Saada () or Sa'dah is one of the governorates of Yemen. The governorate's seat and the largest city is Saada. It is the epicentre of ZaydismJazan Province The Jazan Province is the second smallest province of Saudi Arabia after Al-Bahah. It stretches along the southern Red Sea coast, just north of Yemen. It covers an area of 13,457 km2 and had a population of 1,404,997 at the 2022 census. ...
(
Sarawat Mountains The Sarawat Mountains (), also known as the Sarat in singular case, is a mountain range in the western part of the Arabian Peninsula. In a broad sense, it runs parallel to the eastern coast of the Red Sea, and thus encompasses the mountains of ...
). They are mentioned in Sabean scriptures as (''Kholn Jddn'') which means, new Khawlan. The genealogists have inserted Khawlan into several genealogical patterns, so they are Khawlan bin
Qahtan The Qahtanites (; ), also known as Banu Qahtan () or by their nickname ''al-Arab al-Ariba'' (), are the Arabs who originate from modern-day Yemen. The term "Qahtan" is mentioned in multiple Ancient South Arabian script, Ancient South Arabian ins ...
in one saying, Khawlan from
Quda'a The Quda'a () were a confederation of Arab tribes, including the powerful Banu Kalb, Kalb and Tanukh, mainly concentrated throughout Syria (region), Syria and northwestern Arabia, from at least the 4th century CE, during Byzantine Empire, Byzanti ...
in another, and Khawlan from
Kahlan Kahlan () was one of the main tribal confederations of Sabaeans, Saba' in Ancient history of Yemen, Ancient Yemen. They are descended from Kahlan bin Saba bin Yishjab bin Yarub bin Qahtan. Conflict with Himyar By the 2nd century BC Saba' was decl ...
in a saying. al-Hamdani: "''Khawlan Al-Tiyal are Kahlanites, while Khawlan bin Amer are Quda'ites of
Himyarite Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...
origin''" thus separating between them, and Nashwan al-Himyari opposed him in that, saying that both branches belong to Quda’a.


Origins

The genealogists differed in the lineage of Khawlan, and in that
Badr al-Din al-Ayni Abū Muḥammad Maḥmūd ibn Aḥmad ibn Mūsā Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī, often quoted simply as al-'Ayni (; born 26 Ramadan 762 AH/30 July 1360 CE, died 855 AH/1453 CE) was a Sunni Islamic scholar of the Hanafi madh'hab and the Shadhili tariq ...
said: "Al-Hamdani narrated in his book (Al-Iklil) saying: Khawlan bin Amer bin Al-Haf bin Quda’a, and Khawlan bin Amer bin Malik bin Al-Harith bin Murra bin Adad. He said: And Khawlan Hadhur and Khawlan Rad’a are sons of Qahtan." Old Sabaean scriptures written in Musnad script refer to Khawlan and Sanhan several times and they are always mentioned together, which suggests that they and Sanhan live close to the same area. It is noteworthy that this applies to both Khawlan Al-Tiyal and Sanhan in Sana'a and to the tribe of Khawlan bin Amer who live close to Sanhan
Qahtan The Qahtanites (; ), also known as Banu Qahtan () or by their nickname ''al-Arab al-Ariba'' (), are the Arabs who originate from modern-day Yemen. The term "Qahtan" is mentioned in multiple Ancient South Arabian script, Ancient South Arabian ins ...
, and
Jawad Ali Jawad Ali (1907–1987) was an Iraqi historian and academic who specialized in the history of both Islam and the Arabs. He is best known for his work ''al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-Arab Qabl al-Islam'' (''The Abridged History of the Arabs before Is ...
said about Khawlan: "Khawlan is one of the large and powerful tribes that were mentioned in a large number of South Arabian writings, and we saw their name shining in the days of the Minaeans. It was mentioned that they attacked with the Sabeans a Minaean caravan led by 'Kabiran', and the Minaeans praised their gods and thanked them for the salvation of this caravan, and it is one of the living and fortunate Arab tribes; because it is still known, and it has an old history that we can ascend to the first millennium BC."


Branches of Khawlan

There are two tribes with the name Khawlan which are Khawlan Al-Tiyal in the governorates of Sana'a, Marib, and Al-Bayda, and Khawlan bin Amer in the govrnorate of Saada and the Jazan province. On this accord, The historian Al-Hamdani said:


Khawlan bin Amer

Some individuals of the Khawlan tribes in the Sarawat Mountains still speak their mother tongue, which is an ancient Yemeni language,
Himyaritic Himyaritic is an unattested or sparsely attested Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Yemen, by the Himyarites. It was a Semitic language but either did not belong to the Old South Arabian (''Sayhadic'') languages according to Christian Ro ...
, which is threatened with extinction, and they are divided into 30 tribes. It is where the Khawlani Coffee Beans come from.


Khawlan Al-Tiyal

It is situated in the governorates of Sana'a, Marib, and Al-Bayda.


Mentions of Khawlan Al-Tiyal in Old Books

The name "Khawlan" appears in many ancient writings. Among these writings, there is an inscription that speaks of a war during the days of the kings of Saba. The king's name was lost from it, and several words and lines were lost, obscuring the meaning. The authors of these writings participated in this war, and they returned from it in good health and safety. From the remaining words in the text, it can be understood that the Khawlan tribe had revolted against the king of Saba. The Sabaeans prepared a military campaign against them, defeated Khawlan, and prevailed over them, obtaining abundant spoils. The ruler of Khawlan, it was said that his name was not mentioned in the text, and perhaps it was omitted from writing, and he was referred to as ''Dhi Khawlan'' (The one of Khawlan). During the reign of King Shammar Yahri'sh, a battle took place in
Tihamah Tihamah or Tihama ( ') is the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb. Etymology Tihāmat is the Proto-Semitic language's term for 'sea'. Tiamat (or Tehom, in masculine form) was the ancient M ...
in a location called "Bish" (Bish Province) in the
Jazan Province The Jazan Province is the second smallest province of Saudi Arabia after Al-Bahah. It stretches along the southern Red Sea coast, just north of Yemen. It covers an area of 13,457 km2 and had a population of 1,404,997 at the 2022 census. ...
. The leader of the campaign was an officer with the rank of Mukawwa named "Abu Karb" from the Khawlan tribe. It is mentioned that he fought against the tribes of Banu 'Akk, Sahra, and Hura. Another military campaign was launched by the Khawlanis under the leadership of another Mukawwa from Khawlan towards Harib in Marib. Then they headed towards the region of Khaywan near Sana'a, then to Wadi Amalih in Sa'dah, and then towards
Asir Asir, officially the Aseer Province, is a province of Saudi Arabia in southern Arabia. It has an area of , and an estimated population of 2,024,285 (in 2022). Asir is bounded by the Mecca Province to the north and west, al-Bahah Province to the ...
once again.


Mentions of Khawlan bin Amer in Old Books

After King Shammar returned from his military campaign in
Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...
, he launched another campaign against the rebels in Khawlan al-Dadan, the land of the Dadan tribe in the land of Khawlan bin Amer. The King assigned one of his Khawlani officers to camp in the city of Sa'dah (Sabean: 𐩨𐩠𐩴𐩧𐩬 𐩮𐩲𐩵𐩩𐩣, ''romanized'': ''Bhjrn Sa'datm'') and provide protection there. He then proceeded to block the road for some of the Dadan and Sanhan tribes in Wadi Dafa. The military commander carried out what was requested of him. Then King Shammar returned and issued his command to attack Sahartan and Hartan, the land of the Sahra and Hart tribes, where the King had previously launched military campaigns against them. Sanhan still resides in Wadi Dafa to this day, while the Dadan tribe's mention has been discontinued.


Islamification of Khawlan

Upon the emergence of Islam, the Khawlan tribes in Sa'dah and Sana'a were devoted to the pagan deity Ami'anas ibn Sanhan.ابن الكلبي، الأصنام43 The Khawlan tribe embraced Islam in the tenth year after the Hijra (migration to Medina). A delegation from the tribe came to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, declaring their acceptance of
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. There were ten of them, and they said, "O Messenger of Allah, we are ahead of our people, and we believe in Allah, the Almighty, and we confirm His Messenger. We have driven our camels to you, and we have traveled the land and its plains, giving thanks to Allah and His Messenger. We have come to visit you." The Islamic Prophet replied, "As for your journey to me, for every step you took, you will receive a reward equivalent to the good deed of riding a camel. As for your statement about visiting me, whoever visits me in Medina will be close to me on the Day of Resurrection." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, this journey is not easy for us." The Messenger of Allah then asked about Ami'anas (the pagan deity). They replied, "Give us glad tidings from Allah in exchange for what we have brought, for there are remnants of our people, an elderly sheikh and an elderly woman, who are holding onto him. If we were to approach him, we would destroy him, Allah willing, for we have been misled and tested by him." So the Islamic Prophet said to them, "How great was the trial you experienced?" They replied, "Indeed, we suffered greatly until we ate dry grass. We gathered whatever we could and bought a hundred bulls, which we sacrificed to Ami'anas as a gift in one morning. We left them for the wild animals to consume, even though we were in greater need of them than the wild animals. Then, rain came at the time we needed it most, and we saw the grass covering the ground. Our people said, 'Ami'anas has blessed us.' They also told the Islamic Prophet about how they used to divide their livestock and crops for their idol, believing that they were allocating a portion for Ami'anas and a portion for Allah. They said, 'When we planted crops, we would designate a portion for him and call it his, and we would designate another portion for Allah. If the wind blew in one direction, we considered the portion designated for Ami'anas his, but if the wind blew in another direction, we did not consider it for Allah.' The Islamic Prophet then recited to them the verse: 'And they assign to Allah from that which He created of crops and livestock a share...' (Quran 6:136)." They said, "We used to seek his judgment, and he would speak to us." The Islamic Prophet said, "Those were the devils who were speaking to you." They asked him about the obligations of the religion, so he informed them and commanded them to fulfill their covenants, to uphold trustworthiness, to be good neighbors to those they live among, and not to wrong anyone. The Islamic Prophet then said, "Verily, injustice will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection." Then he bid them farewell after a few days and allowed them to depart. They returned to their people but did not do anything until they destroyed the idol, Ami'anas. Members of the Khawlan tribes in Sa'dah and the Sarat region (Jazan) are divided into 30 tribes, each with its distinct dialect. The most famous of these dialects are the Fayfa' dialect, the Bani Malik dialect, the Munabbeh dialect, the Razah dialect, and the Bani Juma'ah dialect, Their language is considered very important for translating and understanding some Musnad inscriptions. Their language is also spoken by a portion of the mountain dwellers in Yemen, as well as by some other non-Khawlan tribes in Tihama, Asir, and Jazan. The Khawlanis actively participated in the Islamic conquests, and
Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani Al-Samh ibn Malik al- Khawlani () was the Arab governor general of Al-Andalus from between 719 and 721. In 720, under his governorate he minted the first purely Arab coins in Al-Andalus as part of his fiscal reforms. Conquest of remaining Visig ...
ruled over
Al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
.


Languages of Khawlan

The ancient Yemenis spoke the
Old South Arabian Ancient South Arabian (ASA; also known as Old South Arabian, Epigraphic South Arabian, Ṣayhadic, or Yemenite) is a group of four closely related extinct languages ( Sabaean/Sabaic, Qatabanic, Hadramitic, Minaic) spoken in the far southern ...
language. The inscriptions written by the ancient Khawlanis show that they spoke the same language as the Sabaeans and Himyarites. Therefore, the language a minority of Khawlan speak today, or "
Modern South Arabian The Modern South Arabian languages, also known as Eastern South Semitic languages, are a group of endangered languages spoken by small populations inhabiting the Arabian Peninsula, in Yemen and Oman, and Socotra Island. Together with the Ethiosem ...
" is considered an evolved language descended from the Old South Arabian language.


Clothing

The traditional costume in the Khawlan bin Amer region consists of a dark blue or white shirt, a black maʿawaz adorned with blue, a wreath, and a
jambiya A jambiya (), is a type of dagger with a short curved blade with a medial ridge that originated from the Hadhramaut region in Yemen. They have spread to other countries in the Middle East, to other countries in the Arab world, and to parts of Sou ...
. This attire is similar to the attire worn by the inhabitants of the highlands of Yemen and the attire of the people of Tihama Qahtan. The wreath is made from aromatic plants. The wreath is placed on the head and a metal collar is on the elbow as a form of decoration. Until the 1950s, members of the Khawlan tribes in Sarawat continued to wear the Sabean attire, which consisted of a ma'awaz, wreath, and a metal collar at the elbow. This attire was common in the Kingdom of Saba, as well as among the Bedouin tribes and ancient kingdoms of Yemen since the 12th century BCE.


References

{{Arab tribes in Yemen Yemeni tribes Ancient history of Yemen Arab ethnic groups Tribes of Saudi Arabia